(Pierre, SD) — Democratic candidates are running for less than half of seats in the state legislature. Only 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats have a Democratic candidate running in November. The dilemma for Democrats is worse in the state Senate where the party will not field a candidate for nearly two-thirds of the chamber. Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015 and they haven’t held a majority in either chamber since 1994. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats in the state legislature nationwide at just seven-point-six percent.
